Chapter Text
Leif rifled through the collection of new cards Carmina was showing him with curiosity. “Interesting,” he said. “So you think this is the next big thing?”
The red wasp grinned. “Absolutely. There’s huge potential in this, especially the boss variant. We have a deck of 100 cards each and we can have 4 or even 5-player games. It should make for fun chaos with the usual crew.”
Vi and Kabbu, who were currently nursing their drinks, gave each other somewhat pained looks. They knew from experience what that meant with an ordinary game of Spy Cards. This new game – Magic: The Awakening or whatever it was called – with 100 cards per deck, would certainly have chaos. They were less sure about the fun part.
“Leif,” Vi said flatly. “There’s no way you’re investing in another card game; you’ve spent enough on one as it is!”
“Well, if he gets enjoyment out of it…” Kabbu said doubtfully.
“Don’t give him any ideas, Kabbu!” Vi snapped. “You know what he’ll do!”
“We’re an adult and we can make our own choices, Vi,” Leif replied loftily.
“Doesn’t mean you can make smart choices,” Vi retorted.
“Perhaps you could just borrow a deck for now to see whether you like it or not?” Kabbu quickly said before the conversation could descend into a full-on squabble.
“I can lend you a couple of mine,” Carmina said peaceably. “As you can see, I’ve made sure to build a collection up in all five colours. It’s best to start off with one or two colours when you build a deck.”
“We’ll take the blue and white one,” said the blue and white moth rather predictably. “It speaks to us.”
“Alright, cool. So let me give you a brief overview of the rules; you don’t want the 800+ version.”
Leif tilted his head. “Simple game, hm?”
“You’ve been dying for something more complicated,” Carmina snorted. “Anyway, here’s your basic lands that generate TP…”
Vi slid back in her chair and groaned. The battle had already been lost.
After a few games of the standard format, the usual Spy Cards crew met up in the tavern a couple of days later to play the exciting, new card game, specifically the boss variant in which one chose a boss card and then picked 99 cards based on the boss’s colour identity. It all sounded very simple except when it wasn’t. There were rules for attacking, blocking, how the stack worked, oddly specific interactions… It was something Kabbu was more content to watch them play than play himself. Vi was still in a huff though. Leif hadn’t wasted time purchasing cards, especially when he saw the cute ones.
“Some of us actually try to be sensible with money,” she grumbled. “And you leave your stupid boxes everywhere.”
Leif, of course, wasn’t listening. The group was just getting started, setting up lands, small, cheap creatures and the like. Then the real game could begin.
“Fluffy Flea,” he said. “Pass.”
“Um,” said Janet. “I’ll just put down a Plains and pass I guess.”
Carmina slapped down a couple of cards. Naturally, she got the lucky first turn Sun Ring. “Mini Beast.”
Kabbu winced.
“It has Haste so I’ll smack Chuck for 3 damage.”
“Suppose I hafta take it,” the old bug muttered and rolled down his counter. “Right, now I’m gonna play Scute Swarm.”
“Oh, now you’re the threat,” Leif said and as soon as it was his turn, he smacked the creature out of existence.
“At least let me get one turn out of it!”
“Nope.”
Janet merely played another land and a small, non-attacking creature that generated a Pretty Rock artifact upon entering and passed.
Carmina pondered briefly upon her plan and then decided to use a Gamble, discarding a random card and then pulling a random card. She slapped down the result triumphantly.
“Wandering Beast!”
Kabbu winced again.
“See?! I was obviously not the threat!” Chuck cried.
Carmina grinned. “I’m gonna send this bad boy your way, Leif. It’s got Haste and Trample.”
Leif raised an antenna. “You would make an enemy of us?”
His opponent shrugged. “It’s about sending a message.”
“So when do you think it will descend into chaos?” Vi asked Kabbu.
The beetle sighed. “Surely that won’t be the case. This time?”
“—In response, we will cast Lore Book Collection so we can draw seven more cards and of course we have no maximum hand size and then we’ll cast Memory Lane so we can have an extra turn which we can obviously do since we have Flash.”
“Gods, I hate you so much,” Carmina fumed. “We need to take the blue player out already!”
“We’ve been trying to do that for the past five turns!” Chuck protested. “Janet, can’t you do anything!”
The ant had spent much of the game accumulating Pretty Rocks and taking the occasional potshot and gaining life through the latter was only just keeping her head above water as Leif disposed of her Wise Healer with his Fluffy Flea Circus and Cochineal Farm which had very adorable artwork. “In response, I’ll use Nullifying Charm.”
“I swear, Leif, if you have another flaming counterspell…” Carmina growled.
Leif glanced at his cards and then selected one with a smirk. “Oops, all counterspells?”
“I am going to throttle you!”
Vi rolled her eyes. “They’re seriously like dumb kids.”
Kabbu groaned. He had already separated them once. They would probably find a way to strangle each other over a game of tiddlywinks.
By the time Leif finished his extra turn in which he was plainly showing off and everybody aged a decade, Carmina was ready to end the war by throwing as much power down as possible.
“Rampaging Beast! Snarling Beast! Extremely Hungry Beast!”
Kabbu smacked his head against the table.
Leif shrugged as the war creatures smacked his life total. It was fine. He had a hilarious plan under his wing for his next turn. Hilarious for him anyway.
“Why am I TP screwed?!” Chuck opined.
“You just need to believe in the heart of the cards,” Leif replied.
“I hate this,” Vi said as the old bug tried and failed to knock Leif down a peg or two before they then fell into an argument about card rulings. “Leif, just put everyone out of their misery already.”
Before that, it came to Janet’s turn and she looked at her board state.
“Huh. This card says that if I have 15 Pretty Rocks on my upkeep phase, I win. I have 15 so I, uh, win?”
“Well, that was fun,” Leif said as the trio left the tavern later on with the moth now sporting a rather bent antenna. “We can’t wait for the next games night.”
Kabbu gave him a look akin to that of a haunted war veteran. “Leif, I had to separate you and Carmina in that last match. Twice.”
“But we all shook hands at the end so it was fine.”
Vi glared at the moth. “Ugh! I can’t believe you’re gonna waste more money on another card game! And you’re seriously opening up another pack already?” she demanded as the moth succumbed to the lure of cards.
“Once you crack, you can’t go back.” Leif flicked through his new cards before suddenly stopping and staring.
“Oh no,” Vi said with mock concern. “Are they creased or something?”
“We just pulled a card that’s worth 1000 berries,” Leif whispered.
There was a stunned silence that followed that statement.
“Uhh, Leif,” Vi said sweetly. “Maybe I was being too hasty before. I’m sure I could help you find someone to sell that card to…”
Kabbu just rolled his eyes and sighed.